If the purchaser intends to upgrade (again) in three years when Redmond releases the next (2016?) version of Office, assuming they maintain their every-three-years schedule, then the hundred bucks a year for the subscription is the better buy. If, as many tend to do, they choose to keep the professional 2013 version until it/they just can't cope with the differences anymore, then the four hundred simoleans will be far less expensive. Alternatively, if they can get by with a lower-level version, stand-alone is the only way to go - why pay for features and programs they don't use?

The other consideration might be whether or not they have proprietary IP and just don't trust the cloud to keep their information secure from prying eyes. As someone in the throes of two start-up businesses, I personally, as well as my partners, are unwilling to risk our IP to someone else's servers - at least for now.

Having just earned all the MOS certificates for 2010 is also an incentive for me to keep the current version for a while longer, rather than paying either charge.